I Always Knew
by Guardian's Library
Summary: Fall 2000, the first day of collage for two young men will be a day neither of them will forget. When they meet each other in physics class they both knew that they have a great first year in collage. But, what happens when they fall for each other? (ship: Pinescone. Wirt- Over the Garden Wall X Dipper- Gravity Falls. Some BilDip- Bill X Dipper. Human!Bill, Wirt, and Dipper) -FS
1. Chapter 1

**Gravity falls chacacters belong to Alex Hersch**

 **Over the garden Wall belongs to Patrick McHale**

 **Fic idea belongs to Falling Star**

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Chapter 1: A New Start

Fall, 2000.

It was the first day of collage. A day two young men will never forget. They both knew they would easily get into collage as they grew up. Both had unwavering grades of A's and occasionally a B. But they never would have thought that they would meet new people and discover new things of themselves they never bothered to do in high school.

It all started in physics class. A slim, limber, young man sporting a beige sweater with a white collared undershirt, sat near the back door of the giant room reading a book quietly. As he sat more and more seats began to fill up around him with chattering students waiting for class to begin. As soon as the bell rang a slim middle aged man called out for everyone to settle down and find a seat.

A few moments after the bell had rang and the class fell silent a young man with wavy brown hair and a faded out band shirt with his dark blue jacket covering most of it, burst from the back door. All eyes turned to the sudden break of silence. He laughed nervously and apologized to the professor, "So sorry about that..." he called out lowly to him.

The professor nodded, "It's alright. I expect some of you to get lost in the building for the next few days. Please take a seat." He spoke with a slight country accent.

The only seat left was next to the man in the beige sweater. He sat down next to him and set his things down as most the students' eyes began to gaze back at the front of the room.

The professor wrote his name on the board in white chalk. "Hello, my name is Professor Fiddleford. I hope you like your seats, because the ones you've picked are your seats for the semester."

Several gasps and groans came from the crowd. Fiddleford chuckled, "Now, now. Why don't we start with meeting your class mates? Introduce yourselves with the ones around you." He nodded to the class to begin their introductions as he walked off to his desk.

The man with the faded out band shirt turned to man in the beige sweater. "Hey" he said smiling. The other man was still reading his book. "Hey" he repeated, "I'm Dipper. What's your name?"

He slightly looked up and realized he was talking to him. "Oh, I'm sorry. Hi." He placed his bookmark into the fold of the book and shut it.

Dipper waved dismissively, "It's alright. My name is Dipper. What's yours?"

"Dipper? That's almost as weird as my name. I'm Wirt." Dipper looked a bit confused. "Is that a complement? Wort?"

"No, it's _Wirt_. And I'm not so sure myself with your other question." He chuckled. Most people mistook his name as 'Wort' so it didn't bother him too much. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's so loud in here... So, where are you from?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm used to it by now. I'm from Michigan. You?" The collage was in Oregon.

Dipper eyes widened in shock, "Wow. That must be hard to leave everyone." He sighed. "You would think, but not really. I keep in touch often. This morning my mom texted me 6 times to wish me a good day at school."

Dipper chuckled, "That's nothing! My sister called me _all_ night rambling on about me finding a girlfriend and getting drunk at parties."

Wirt smirked, "Who is your sister? She seems like she would get along with my step brother, Greg."

"Mabel is my twin sister. She's _very_ energetic and annoying, but she's pretty sweet."

They continued on for the about of the rest of the class period since Professor Fiddleford didn't have anything planned for the first day besides have everyone meet each other. He only took 15 minutes to talk about himself and future plans just before the bell rung. Dipper smiled to Wirt as he went to leave. "Hey, want to have lunch together? My treat."

"What? Oh, you don't have to spend your money on me, but just hanging out somewhere free sounds nice." Wirt said as he bent down to get his books from the ground. "It's nothing really. I have enough to spare this week."

"Well. If you insist-"Dipper cut him off smirking, "-yes I do."

"Then, I can't say no." Wirt waved goodbye and exited the back door.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two: Roommates

It was the last period of the school day and Dipper's stomach growled loudly at the thought of food as he approached the lunch room. He sat down close to the main entrance so that it would be easier to spot Wirt as he entered. Dipper leaned his chin into his palm and hummed in drowsiness to keep himself awake.

A golden haired boy with beaming brown eyes and a red shirt with a yellow jacket sat down in front of him. The jacket seemed to have a brick pattern mid-way down it. He chuckled and grinned widely, Dipper already knew where this was going. "Hello! I'm Bill! Nice to meet you!" he said loudly as he held out his hand. Dipper took his hand and shook it slowly, "Hi. Um, nice to meet you too."

"So, what are you here for?" Bill mimicked Dipper by placing his chin into his palm and leaning against the table. His grin would have widened if it could. Dipper sat up, "Oh, I was just going to get lunch with my friend."

"No, I mean, what is your major in?" his smile faded slightly, Dipper assumed it was because his face was getting tired from smiling so much. "I'm a robotic engineer. What about you?" Dipper replied to him.

"A robotic engineer, huh? You must be one smart cookie for that!" the blonde man nudged Dipper with his elbow. "I'm a Cryptography major!"

"What's Cryptography exactly..?" Dipper raised a brow at him. He never heard the subject before. "Decoding stuff with math, electrical engineering and bunch of other things." He waved his hand dismissively and placed his palm under his chin once again looking up at him. Some hair fell out of his face, uncovering his left eye. It seemed to be hazier than the other. The other being a dark brown while the other is a light hazel brown.

Dipper glanced over at the door to see Wirt walk in. He stood up and waved over to Wirt, "Hey, Wirt, over here!" he cupped the side of his mouth to amplify his voice over the loud chattering of the surrounding people. "Oh, is that your friend?" there was a slight hint of annoyance in Bill's voice. Wirt grinned at Dipper and waved back to him before joining the both of them at the table.

"Oh, who's this? Nice to meet you." Wirt held his hand out to the blonde man. Bill slightly frowned before taking his hand and shaking it once. "Yes, same for me..."

"This is Bill. Bill, this is Wirt." Dipper introduced them.

Wirt... Note: make sure to write his name on my black list. No, make it my deathnote list. Dammit, but I need his last name... Objective one: get this guy's last name. Bill thought to himself, but kept a slightly irritated smile on his face.

Wirt sat next to Dipper and across from Bill. Wirt had brought Cosmic Brownies for Dipper and him, not expecting to meet someone new. Wirt tore open his wrapper, "Do you want to spilt this with me..?" he asked Bill, already tearing the brownie into two.

"Uh, no. I already have too much sugar. Plus, I'm not hungry." Bill looked around the room frowning slightly. Dipper chirped in, "Why are you here then?"

"The ladies aren't going to sweet talk themselves, right?" he joked, chuckling a bit.

"Wow, you're such a player!" Dipper exclaimed and laughed. Bill grinned at his reaction, "Hey, someone has to play the game!"

"Yeah, I guess..." he trailed off. "Why don't you look for a long term relationship? Instead, you know, breaking everyone's hearts."

"I get bored easily. The same old, same old over and over again. So I move on. Plus, I don't need any dating advice. You're probably still a virgin." Bill looked annoyed again. His emotions could change in a blink of an eye.

Dipper chuckled nervously, "N-no I'm not..!" Wirt added in to the conversation. "It doesn't really matter anyways. He could Asexual. And just because he's a virgin doesn't mean he doesn't know about dating. Maybe you should try it..?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever. I don't want a lecture." He grumbled back.

All three fell silent eating and looking around the lunch room awkwardly. Once Dipper finished his meal he stood up and thanked them both before heading to his dorm. All of the money he spent on books and supplies left him a few hundred dollars with his job at a restaurant down the street. Dipper unlocked his door and stepped inside. Two small beds on either sides of the small room. At the end of the bed on the right was a desk to work on. The staff was generous enough to buy them a couple shelves and mount them above each bed. The walls were a plain beige color as he expected.

Dipper sat down his heavy back pack on the end his bed. Earlier that day he had brought his belongings into the room and sat them down near the bed. His bed was next to the window. First come, first serve, right?

Dipper laid down so that his legs dangled off the side of the bed. He sighed and squinted at the sun light in his eyes. He placed his forearm over his eyes.

The door squeaked open. Dipper perked up and lifted his arm off his eyes. It was a blonde man with two different colored brown eyes.

"Bill? How did you get my key?" Dipper sat up and frowned in confusion.

"How did you get in my room without a key?" Bill answered setting his bag down. "I didn't. I have a key. So, I guess we're roommates then…" Dipper sat up.

"Yeah, I see that. And I also see that you took the good side of the room." Bill took a seat on his bed after sweeping crumps off of it.

"Hey, the early bird gets the worm, huh?" Dipper smiled and chuckled innocently.

Bill smiled back, "Yeah, sure."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Studying  
A week past since the first day of college. Dipper and Wirt would sit together at lunch and share stories about their life or talk about their favorite T.V shows or video games. Mostly they would talk about their common interest in an RPG fantasy board game.  
"Um, so, what race is your character?" Dipper asked once he found out that Wirt also liked Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons. He was ecstatic to hear it. All through high school, Mabel and her friends would tease him for liking the game. The only person that would play with him was his Great Uncle Ford when Mable and he would visit him during the summer.  
"Oh, Warlock. Best race in the game." Wirt replied to him, grinning. He too was also glad to hear that Dipper liked it. That means another player for his group that met every other week for a game or two.  
"Aw, what?!" Dipper asked chuckling. "No, the elf is totally the best!" Wirt rolled his eyes, "Pfft. Magic is way better than swordsmanship or whatever it's called."  
Dipper hummed in thought for a moment, "What about a duel? I'll show you that elves are better than Warlocks." He smirked in cockiness.  
"Oh, it's on!" Wirt smirked back. "I meet with a group every other week on Saturday. Maybe you should come then for the duel."  
"You have a group?!" Dipper exclaimed with excitement. He's never played with another person besides Ford, and Ford only played with him when he took a break from his work. He was an engineer. Ford would spend most of his day building machines in the basement of his house. No wonder some of the townspeople were a bit wary of him.  
"Yeah, a small group, but yeah." Wirt chuckled softly as his reaction. Dipper nodded, "Yeah, that sounds fun! I-I can bring another game for us to play."  
"Alright, I'll tell the group we have a new member. And, I'm sure that they won't mind if you brought a game. Don't see why they would mind, but, you never know." Wirt shrugged as he finished his statement.  
Dipper nodded again,"Mhm. Oh, also! Would you mind if you came to my dorm to study for physics?"  
"Oh, sure, no problem. What do you need help with?" Wirt asked him. He was slightly confused. They haven't learned much besides just reviewing from high school. Maybe he just needed help remembering.  
"Just studying. I work better in groups and I don't know many other people in physics. When are you free?" Dipper explained as he looked around the cafeteria idly.  
"Oh, okay. Umm.. I should be done with my homework in 20 minutes, give or take." Wirt stood up and stretched. "So, what is your dorm number?"  
Dipper stood up with him, "I'll just text it to you." Wirt let his arms fall to his sides, "But I don't have your number."  
"And I am going to give it to you." He pulled out a pen from a pocket on his red plaid shirt and scribbled the digits on a napkin. Dipper handed it to the other boy, smiling.  
"Oh, well, here." Wirt tore a piece from the napkin and wrote his number on it, handing it to Dipper. Wirt's handwriting was much cleaner and easier to read than Dipper's chicken-scratch. But nonetheless, Wirt was able to decipher it pretty easily.  
"Well, see you in 20 or so minutes!" Dipper smiled at him waving before leaving to go back to his dorm.  
Once he opened the door he saw Bill snooping through some of his papers. His hands fumbled with the papers as he heard the door opening, scattering them all over the place.  
"Oh, hey there.." Bill laughed nervously as he turned his head and waved at him pathetically.  
"What are you doing?" Dipper questioned stepping in and setting his bag down at the end of his bed. Bill quickly slid off and took a step back, "Oh, just looking for something I lost" Bill glanced at the ground.  
"Mhm, sure. I'm not going to kill you for looking at my stuff. I have nothing to hide." Dipper said as he pulled a book from his backpack. Dipper sat on his bed, "So, what were you really looking for?"  
"Um... Any clues if you're a felon. See if you committed any crimes. But I saw nothing that proved that you were, so you're off the hook. For now. " Bill sat down next to him and leaned over to see what he was doing, blocking the view of the book from Dipper with his head.  
"Hey, what are you doing? Need any help?" Bill turned his head and looked up at Dipper, smiling innocently.  
"First, you can let me see the book. And second, you can go somewhere else. Wirt should be over in a few minutes." Dipper frowned at him and pulled away from him.  
"What's his business coming over?" he asked crossing his legs over each other and tucking his palms between the gap in his legs.  
"He's going to help me study"  
"Mhm. 'Study'. Suure." Bill grinned suggestively. Dipper jolted up, "Not that kind of study! I don't like him like that, Bill!"  
"I'm kidding! I'm kidding." Bill chuckled at his reaction, his shoulders bouncing. Dipper huffed in annoyance and went back to reading his book.  
"Aw, what, it was only a joke." Bill whined, but still kept a mischievous grin on his face. Dipper didn't answer him nor looked up at him.  
He huffed and got off his bed, "Pfft, okay. Well, I need to pick up some chicks at the bar. See you at, um, about 11 or 12." Bill waved to him before leaving the room.  
Dipper sat down his book as the door closed and sighed. He gazed around the room. In a span of a week, their dorm already looked like a tornado passed through it. Papers, clothes, books, trash, scattered across the room. Dipper looked down at his watch strapped to his wrist, he'll only have 12 minutes to clean up everything.  
Dipper rubbed his eyes and sighed into his palms before standing up and picking up every piece of trash and throwing it into a trash bag on the door handle. Starting to sort the papers, he only had about 8 minutes left.  
He gave up about half way through with putting them in the right places and just stacked him on Bill's desk for later. 4 minutes left and he scrambled to throw every garment on the ground into hampers and the closet.  
Finally, he sprayed an air freshener and fixed both his and Bill's sheets. One minute left to spare before Wirt would arrive.  
But then Dipper heard a jingle from his phone. It was a message from Wirt.  
"Hey, what's your dorm number and which section is it in?"  
Dipper forgot to tell him where it was. He felt kind of stupid for rushing to clean the room when it might take Wirt as long as 5 or more minutes to get to his dorm from the farthest section.  
_"It's the second dorm to the left on the third floor in section 3"

Dipper texted him back. He sighed and rubbed his eyes again. His phone rang again and Wirt replied with an "okay".  
A few minutes later and a few taps came from the other side of Dipper's door. "Oh, come in!" he called out to him.  
Wirt opened the door and stepped in, "Pft, I don't see why you couldn't open it yourself." He chuckled softly and put his bag on the end of Dipper's bed.  
"I'm lazy okay?" Dipper smirked and sat up on his bed. Wirt nodded as he looked around, "Yes, I see that"  
Dipper rolled his eyes playfully. "Yeah, well, let's just study okay?" Wirt sat down on his bed and pulled off his jacket, placing it over the railing on the end of the bed. "So, what do you need help studying with?"  
"I just need help remembering. Any tips?"  
"That's all you wanted? Tips?"  
"I mean, yeah. Is there a problem with that? We can hang out too if you want"  
Wirt hummed, "Fine. Do you need help with any other homework then?" He asked as he reached over Dipper to examine the stack of paper.  
"Yeah, I was kinda hoping you would just do it for me," Dipper responded honestly, smiling innocently up at the taller man.  
"What do I get out of it?" Wirt looked up from the papers.  
"What? Um, I could buy you a drink or something. You're 21 right?" Dipper seemed a bit confused why Wirt said that. He didn't seem to be that kind of guy who expects something in return.  
"I was just kidding. And yes, I'm actually 23." Wirt lightly nudged Dipper with his elbow and smiled. Dipper chuckled, "Well, we could still go out for drinks if you want."  
Wirt nodded in agreement. "Mhm. Sounds fun. But you have to study first."  
He whined playfully in response, "Okaaay mooom.."  
"Heheh, dork"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3: Yellow  
It wasn't a difficult time for the man to keep Dipper on track. Every once and awhile he would talk to Wirt more than trying to remember the Three Laws of Newton were.  
"Okay, I think I got it now," Dipper announced. Wirt looked up from the bottom of the bed, lying down with practically half his body hanging over the side of the bed. It was noticeable that he was starting to drift off by how his eyelids drooped slightly. "Hm? It really took you fifteen minutes for you to memorize three simple things?"  
"No, it took me fifteen minutes for me to memorize everything we went over in class so far," Dipper smirked at him. Wirt yawned and sat up on his elbows.  
"Yeah, well that means we can hang out now. Where do you want to go? The bar still?"  
Dipper closed his book and sat it aside before humming in thought. "We could, but you have to buy your own drinks." He chuckled softly to himself.  
"Of course, of course. I wasn't expecting you to anyways. Since you'll be too busy buying every girl in there a drink." Wirt lightly nudged his leg as he smirked at him.  
"Pfft, I doubt any of those girls would find me attractive. But hey, we'll see."  
Wirt paused in thought but decided to keep his comment to himself. "Yep. Make sure to bring a coat. It's chilly tonight."

Once they arrived at the noisy bar in Wirt's broken down station wagon they both knew it'll be one hell of a night. It was a Friday night and there was a line outside the bar of about twenty people at least. On the other hand, a large group of drunk men and women exited the bar as they parked on the side of the street. Wirt and Dipper stepped out of the car and went to stand in line. Perfumes and cologne filled the surrounding air, burning both Dipper and Wirt's noses. Dipper particularly had his nose scrunched up with disgust. At least he wasn't able to smell the nearby dumpster from the perfumes. Wirt looked over to him and chuckled softly with amusement, "Well someone doesn't look happy."  
"I'm not happy because it smells awful and my feet fell asleep and I don't want to do an Irish jig in public to wake them up," He said with an irritated tone, not bothering to make eye contact with Wirt as he kept his gaze ahead. They had been standing there for about ten minutes already. "Hey," Wirt placed his hand on his shoulder, gently forcing Dipper to look at him. "We could just go to the movies or go out to eat."  
Dipper looked up at the taller male. The light from the light post above lit a dim light onto Wirt's face, making his features look bolder and stand out more. He hadn't noticed how smooth his skin looked before. Rounded chin, deep, large dark eyes- it all looked so... Appealing suddenly. Dipper oddly felt something form in the back of his throat and his cheeks warm up faintly as he looked up at him. Wirt's words broke the silence as his expression from soft changed to confused, "Dipper? Are you okay? You're just staring at me."  
Dipper blinked and snapped out of his daze. "Oh, was I? I-I'm sorry. Um, what did you say?" he blushed a bit more out of embarrassment.  
"Do you just want to go somewhere else instead?" he smirked amused at how Dipper lost his train of thought looking up at him. Hmm.. He wonders-  
"Yeah," he smiled with relief, "sounds great." Just then they heard a familiar voice calling for them, "Hey, I know you two. Dipper and that fucking Wirt guy, huh?" the male voice slurred, obviously drunk. They both turned to the man to realize it was Bill. He currently had two women wrapped around in his arm on either side by the waist. He swayed to the side slightly, only being able to stand up with the two women. The girls both had short dresses that reached down in the middle of their thighs that squeezed to their body. It was noticeable that neither of them were wearing bras. Bill himself had visible lipstick on his face and neck and his hair in all directions, but still looked decent. "Ugh, Bill. You're so drunk." Dipper muttered before turning to Wirt, "Will you help me get him into the car?"  
Wirt nodded, "Yeah, of course." Both of them approached Bill and the girls. Bill slurred, "What the hell are you two doing here?"  
Dipper ignored him as he talked to the two drunk women, "I'm so sorry, but he has to go home now with us."  
The two women laughed and moved away from his grasp. One of them reached up to his face and kissed him sloppily, "Well, it was fun hanging out with you Bill."  
He smirked at her, "Call me and we can pick this up another time, baby" he winked at her. She giggled and walked back in with the other women. Dipper groaned and wrapped Bill's arm around his shoulder so Bill wouldn't stumble as he led him back to the car. Bill chuckled, "Oh, Dipper. Heey. Did you want some time with me too? There's no need to be jealous. I'll be here aallll night." He slurred.  
Dipper rolled his eyes and huffed, "No, I'm taking you home and you're going to bed."  
"Look at him. Being demanding and shit. How cute." Bill cackled. Wirt unlocked the car and opened the backseat door. Dipper led him into the back seat and buckled Bill before going to move up front. But Wirt's words stopped him in his tracks.  
"Maybe you should stay back there and keep him occupied so I won't get distracted," Wirt suggested. Dipper sighed and agreed. He never liked drunks. Why did he suggest going to a bar in the first place?  
As Wirt drove them back to campus Bill surprisingly just looked out the window in silence leaning on his hand watching the trees and pass by. He looked pretty tired, Dipper guessed that he was already getting a hang-over. Just then Bill sat up and turned to face Dipper who sat in the middle seat next to him. "Hey, I'm sorry about back there. That was really stupid of me to get drunk." Bill's voice was low, slightly less slurred together as before. He leaned on Dipper's shoulder as he spoke, "It's fine Bill." He replied simply glancing down at him. Bill closed his eyes and breathed lightly as he started to fall asleep.  
Wirt glanced at the rear-view mirror and adjusted it so he could see them. He felt what he thought was jealousy, but quickly dismissing it, confused why he felt that way.

"Are you sure you can take him up yourself?" Wirt asked once they arrived at the dorm complex on campus. "Yeah, I'm sure. He's not as drunk as before, so he should be okay walking by himself."  
Wirt gave Dipper an uncertain look but sighed, giving in. "Okay. Well, be careful and good night." Wirt went to get back into his car when Dipper gently placed his hand on Wirt's shoulder. He turned back to him to find himself in a hug with Dipper pressing his face into his shoulder. "Good night, Wirt," Dipper muttered, his voice muffled by Wirt's sweater. Wirt awkwardly hugged the small man back, his cheeks growing a bit warm. Dipper broke away from the hug and smiled up at him, "It was fun." And with that, he turned and went to join with Bill who was sitting on the staircase waiting for him. Wirt smiled softly and watched him go before driving off.

Once Dipper hauled Bill up to their room Dipper closed the door behind them. "Alright. It's off to bed for you." Dipper said pointing to Bill's bed. But Bill just stood in front of Dipper with his back turned towards him. "Uh, Bill? Bedtime." Dipper repeated slightly pushing him towards his bed. Bill barely budged an inch. It was silent until Bill spoke quietly a few moments later. "Dipper," He spoke, turning to him. "Do you... Do you like Wirt?" Bill asked as he gazed to the ground awkwardly, his face seemingly full of sorrow.  
Dipper looked up at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"  
"Exactly how it sounds. Do you like him?"  
"As a friend?"  
"No. Romantically," Bill mumbled.  
"Uhh. No." Dipper didn't know what else to say. He didn't know if he liked him that way or not. And if he did like him that way would Bill be disgusted by it?  
Bill turned away again, "That's all I wanted to know.", he said before laying down in his bed.  
Dipper was confused by all of this. Why did Bill want to know? Did he actually like Wirt like that? Would Bill gossip if he confessed that it turns out that he actually does? Dipper stood there dumbfounded for a moment as questions raced through his mind. He shook his head finding it no use to ask questions that he couldn't answer right now. So Dipper flipped the light off before crawling into bed. He stared up at the ceiling thinking about Wirt. The picture of Wirt standing in the dim light smiling softly down at him reappeared in his mind. He felt his cheeks burn faintly. Dipper smiled a bit before drifting off to sleep.

 **((Author's Notes: Hey, guys. Thank you very much for your support and what else do you want to see happen? And if you're wondering when someone will make a move, don't worry, it's coming soon. Thanks again, Happy New Year!))**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five: Game night

The next morning Dipper woke up with a pillow smacking into his chest and Bill yelling for him to turn off his alarm.

"That damn thing is giving me a head ache!", he complained as he stalked back into his bed and retreated under the covers. Dipper sat up and rubbed his eyes, "No, I think that's called a hang-over..." He mumbled reaching over and smacking the alarm clock. Once his vision cleared up he realized that it was almost ten o'clock. He was going to be late for work!

Dipper practically jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom, stomping around unintentionally. Bill groaned at how much noise he was making and pressed his pillow against his ears irritated. Dipper quickly changed into his uniform and combed his wavy curls. He grabbed his keys and wallet before slipping on his shoes, still stomping. Bill sat up from his bed and huffed, "Can you be any louder?!"

"Sorry man, I have to go to work." Dipper said as he left the room and made his way down to the parking lot just outside of campus. His work was about ten minutes away and he had to be there at 10:30 and it was currently fifteen after. Dipper only hope that there was no traffic on the highway.

Once he arrived he quickly rushed into the small building. "Tsk, tsk. Mr. Pines, it seems that you're late again." A slightly high pitched male voice came from behind him. Dipper turned around, "I'm sorry Gideon. But I'm only one minute late." He paused regretting already what he was about to say, "I can stay over time if you'd like."

The short man hummed in thought, "Hmm... Okay Pines. But you don't earn your overtime pay." He sneered and cackled before turning and walking away.

Dipper sighed in defeat before heading off to his department in the car dealership. Which just so happened to be the janitor's closet. Dipper was a part-time janitor at a car dealership ran by his childhood enemy and his father. The only reason Gideon treated him like that was because he didn't like him in the least. He hated Dipper because Gideon had a crush on his sister who was two grades above him at the time. Gideon claimed that Mabel did like him and Dipper was jealous and tried to keep them apart. When in reality, Mabel didn't like him that way. She found it awkward that a ten-year-old wanted to date a twelve-year-old at the time. They were in seventh grade going on eighth when Gideon was in fifth going on sixth in the summer.

Why had fate landed him working as a janitor for Gideon Gleeful? Grudgingly, Dipper started to mop the floors around the entrance. It was amazing how dirty it could get. A gnome could probably be buried alive with all of the dust that collected on the ground.

Dipper continued to clean the ground for a good fifteen minutes when he heard a familiar voice burst through the entrance doors.

"Geez, kinda slippery here, huh? So Jack, what kind of car do you want? Only the best for my little bro!" a female said as laughter could be heard from her and another person, presumably her brother. Dipper looked up to see a slim red haired women head locking a smaller male and ruffling his hair playfully. Instantly he recognized the female to be his childhood crush, Wendy Corduroy. He felt a sudden flood of embarrassment. What if Wendy recognized him and laughs at him for being a janitor? What if he does something stupid and slips and embarrasses himself even more? What if Wendy tells him that she has a boyfriend? What if she's already married?! Dipper will never have a chance to be with her!

As questions ran through his mind he stood there staring at them in embarrassment and shock when he came to his senses and quickly turned away. "Hey, is that you Dipper?" Wendy called out. Dipper halted and flinched. Oh god, don't freak out. Don't freak out. Don't freak out. He slowly faced her again, stiff and hunched down as if he was prepared for something. "O-oh. H-hi Wendy. What a-are you doing here...?" his voice cracked slightly.

"Oh, just looking for a car for my bro!" Wendy pulled Jack over by his shoulder. "So, do you work here now? For that little punk Gideon?"

"Uh... Y-yeah. I do." He felt embarrassed to admit it. "But I also work at the Diner down the road on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And I work here also on Thursdays and Saturdays. My only days off from school. I pretty much have no time off..." He explained briefly. Wendy gave an amuse look, "Oh, so you're going to college now, huh? Have you been getting any chicks yet?" she nudged his shoulder with her elbow and wiggled her eye brows. Dipper pulled away and laughed, "Man, I wish! I've just been so busy lately I don't have time to. But I made a few friends."

Wendy chuckled, "Yeah, well it'll come in time. Don't sweat it too much dork.", she ruffled his hair. "See you later dude." She smiled before walking away with her younger brother.

Dipper smiled and felt his cheeks warm up as he clenched the mop in his hand close to his chest. "Why do you have to be so beautiful?" he whispered quietly to himself.

"Mr. Pines! Stop googling over those women and get back to work r-right- I said right this instant." Bud Gleeful called over to Dipper from across the store. Dipper nodded and apologized before going back to mopping up the floor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After a few hours of labor at the dealership Dipper clocked out and checked his phone. He flipped up the case to see a message from Wirt.

"_Hey, Dipper. I was wondering if you were still coming to the DD & D group thing. It started like 30 minutes ago. _"

Wirt had sent him that about fifty minutes ago. And Dipper had completely forgot about it! Dipper quickly texted back his message

"_Yeah. Just got off of work and I need to take a shower first. Where is it? _"

He put his flip phone back into his pocket and headed out to his car and started to drive back to his dorm room.

Once returning to his dorm room, he quietly shut the door behind him to not wake the fearsome dragon by the name of Bill. Luckily, he did not wake up from the squeaking of the closing door. Dipper was alive. For now.

He pulled out his flip phone and checked if Wirt texted him back. Wirt did- his text message saying:

"_We're at Sara's house on 88 Bagby Hill Drive. And it's snowing over here, so be safe okay? See you in a little then_" Wirt had also added a smiling face at the end of his message.

Dipper smiled sheepishly at the message, thinking that it was really sweet of him. Closing his phone, he tossed it onto his bed and stalked over to the bathroom quietly. The dragon laid asleep snoring quietly under the covers draped over him.

Dipper had arrived at Sara's house thankfully in one piece. By now the snow was cascading down and piled onto the road. The radio said as Dipper drove to her house that if you can stay off the streets you should. _I'll probably have to spend the night here at this rate, he thought to himself as he blew into the palms of his hands for warmth after closing the bone-numbing cold car door. Unfortunately, Dipper hadn't got the chance to unpack his winter clothes yet, so he had to wear his thin navy blue jacket and cheap cloth gloves he found on Bill's desk instead.

Dipper hastily treaded through the piling snow to Sara's porch. He heard laughter coming from inside the house before hearing Wirt's annoyed voice as the laughter died down. His voice was partially absorbed through the wall and sounded to Dipper like, "_Oh come on guys. It's not like that! _"

Dipper tapped on the wooden door with his knuckles before stepping back just in case the door opened outwards (he's been hit by doors countless times before). An unfamiliar female, presumably African-American, answered the door and scanned Dipper quickly. "Some pizza guy. Doesn't even have the pizza with him." She smirked before stepping to the side and flicking her head, gesturing him to come inside, "Come on, you look like a cat who just had a bath. I'll make you a cup of coffee if you'd like." Dipper nodded gratefully, his jaw clamped shut from the cold and stepped inside. The female added, "You do drink coffee right? If so, does black coffee fancy you? It's all we have left."

"Uh, y-yeah. Thank you." He stuttered through chattering teeth, "It's like ten degrees out there..."

"Pft. Tell me about it. Anyways, I'm Sara. Nice to meet you. I'm guessing you're Wirt's friend, right?" Sara held out her hand and smiled up at him since he was only a few inches taller than her. Dipper took her hand and shook it, "Uh, yeah. My name is Dipper. Nice to meet you too, Sara."

A voice boomed from around the corner, "I hear love blossoming over here!~" It was female, the blonde girl with glasses who spoke was peering around the corner gawking at them holding hands.

Dipper quickly pulled his hand away and pulled off his gloves, "W-what? No."

Sara snickered at the girl, "Pft, he wishes. This is Veronica. Come on, let's get you some coffee." Sara led him into the kitchen were a group of six people crowded around a round table with DD & D set up. Wirt immediately called over to Dipper to sit next to him, grinning widely. He pulled up a seat next to Wirt and scanned over the board. Everyone was separated into different rooms sparring against enemies. "Sorry about being so late. My boss made me stay overtime today because I woke up late this morning." Dipper explained to no one in particular.

"Oh, it's no problem. So, um I'll introduce you to everyone. Everyone, this is Dipper. And Dipper this is", Wirt gestured over to each person as he introduced them, "Veronica, Sara, John, Kate," he lowly mumbled the last person's name, "and this is Jason Funderberker..."

Dipper nodded slowly, Wirt had told him about Jason before. Jason was Wirt's quote on quote, "love rival" back in Middle school. He felt like Jason was the "total package" and was way cooler than him. Jason, so far, had taken every crush of his before he had the chance to ask them on a date. Wirt never really forgets. To Dipper's surprise, he was a very jealous person, not to mention a hopeless romantic. He had also told him he would embarrassingly write love poems for his crush (whose name wasn't mention) before deciding it was a stupid and throwing it away before giving it to them.

Dipper sometimes feels like Wirt regrets telling him that since Dipper would always tease him about it when he first told him, which usually ended up with Wirt getting really embarrassed and defensive.

Sara sat down a mug in front of Dipper, "'ere you go. But it's still a bit hot, so don't burn your tongue." Dipper nodded in acknowledgement, "Yeah, thank you again."

"So, are you in collage, Dipper?" the short blonde haired man named John asked. "Umm, y-yeah I am. I'm a freshman. I'm guessing that you're in collage too, right?"

"Yup, everyone 'ere is, dude." John nodded and grinned, gesturing to everyone at the table. "So, who's next?"

"John, it's been your turn for like, ten minutes. Go already!" Kate snickered and tossed him the dice from across the table.

Dipper turned to Wirt as people started to talk within their own little groups. Wirt was laughing at Sara who had made a joke when Jason jumped in and gained Sara's full attention. So Dipper decided to make a little conversation.

"Hey, Wirt. Have you been able to find a job yet? We just got a new worker at the Diner and I was curious if it was you." Dipper explained swiftly.

"Uh, I mean, yeah I got a job. But not there. I got a job at the gas station. Do you know how dirty those bathrooms get? It's crazy!", Wirt threw his hands in the air for emphasis," And, of course, my co-workers always make me clean it since I just started there."

"Wait, dude, you have no idea. I have a part-time job at the car dealership- and I swear, if a family of fairies walked in there they would all suffocate from all the dust on the ground. And guess who has to mop the floor each day."

"Oh, so you're the janitor, right?" Wirt asked. Suddenly the feeling of embarrassment flooded back to Dipper. Dipper choked on his words, feeling even more embarrassed, he crammed potato chips into his mouth and looked away from him. Wirt looked really confused before bursting out into laughter.

"Hey, be quite, you!" Dipper cried through the chips in his mouth, almost swallowing a whole chip. Wirt covered his mouth in attempt to quiet down, "Wh-why did you do that...?" he asked through giggles. Dipper shrugged and frowned in response.

The night went on in similar fashion, someone at the table would crack a joke that would cause a huge conversation, then pause to play the game, rinse and repeat. Dipper really didn't talk to anyone besides Wirt that night and ended up completely forgetting that they had a duel. A few people decided to try to leave despite having snow five inches high, leaving only Sara, Wirt, Dipper and Kate. Sara and Kate arranged the sleeping areas that comprised of them both sleeping in Sara's room while Wirt slept on the loveseat and Dipper slept in a sleeping bag on the ground in the living room.

As Dipper crawled into his sleeping bag his phone rang. He got a message from Bill.

"_Hey, meet me at the coffee shop tomorrow at 11_"

"_How did you get my number and how are you already a contact in my phone_?"

"_Do you really think that I wouldn't check your phone to make sure if you're a felon? I am very serious about this_"

"_Good night Bill_"

"_Good night! Hope you sleep well! :3_"

Dipper closed his phone and rolled his eyes. Tomorrow is going to be a rough day...

 **(AN: Hey, guys, I'm so sorry about the late chapter. I've been busy with school and family and I got the flu for a while there and it's been pretty crazy. Thank you for being so patient with the new chapter and I'm setting a goal for myself to have the next chapter done in two weeks. But I wouldn't give my hopes up. We'll see what happens. I hope you enjoyed, thanks again)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six: Coffee

The Diner door creaked open as its hinges worked open. As Dipper stepped inside he caught a glance at a small group of people in the corner of the restaurant before a frantic waving man stole his gaze.

"Hey, hey, Dipper! Over here!", Bill called over to him loudly grinning widely. Dipper motioned him to wait a moment as he walked over to the booth he was sitting at.

"Um, hey. So why did you want to meet me here? And what's up with you looking through my phone and junk? Ever heard of privacy before?", Dipper asked as he sat across from him at the small table.

"Like I said before, that I'm making sure that I'm not dorming with a criminal.", he flashed a grin as the waitress approached them. Dipper recognized the nerdy girl instantly, Candy, his co-worker and his sister's best friend.

Dipper smiled up at her and waved, "Oh hey Candy. I see that you're stuck in this hell-hole today. Has it at least been remotely nice to you today?"

The girl smiled, "Greetings Dipper.", she pushed up her falling glasses to the bridge of her nose as she continued, "Yeah, today has been quiet so far. Manly Dan managed to break the Manliness Test again. So, the usual." She motioned over to the broken machine near the doorway.

Candy looked over at Bill, "Who is this Dipper? I haven't seen him around before.", she smiled warmly as she directed her attention to the mysterious man. "How are you today?"

"Oh, this is Bill. I only just met him a week ago at the college. He dorms with me." Dipper briefly explained.

"Why, hello ma'am. I'm doing very well today, thank you for asking. How are you doing on this fine day, miss?" Bill responded politely, smiling back at Candy. Candy said blushing faintly from his gentle tone, "I'm doing fine, thank you. Now, may I get you anything?", she asked as she took a notepad and pen from a pocket on an apron she was wearing.

Dipper picked up the menu although he already knew what he wants. He had memorized the menu since he would come here often with his great uncle during the summertime when he was a kid. "Um, I'll have a cup of black coffee to drink and a meal of scrambled eggs and hash browns, please."

"And I will have the same." he punctuated his sentence with a sharp nod towards Dipper. Dipper glanced over to him to see him grinning widely. He couldn't help but to smile too at how childish he looked. Candy nodded in acknowledgement, "Yes, yes. Candy will bring it right out to you two.", she backed away into the kitchen area.

Bill placed his chin into his palm and leaned over onto the table, "You know, I don't know much about you. That's part of the reason why I wanted to meet you here. To learn more about you. You seem interesting."

"Interesting? Hahah, that's funny. I'm just an average joe. Average family, average friends, average life. Nothing special really. . .", he chuckled softly and looked down with his hands in his lap as he dug out dirt from under his nails.

"And is that okay with you?"

Dipper paused in thought for a few moments. "Honestly, no. It's not okay with me. I don't want to be another forgotten name." Neither of them spoke.

Dipper laughed awkwardly after a while to ease up the tension, "But, hey, maybe I'll end up famous by creating the first humanoid robot."

Suddenly a cup of coffee was set in front of Dipper. He glanced up at Candy, who was smiling at him as she set down the other cup for Bill. "There you go. Your food should be done soon.", and with that she returned back into the kitchen.

"Maybe you will; maybe you won't. Time can only tell", Bill took a sip of the steaming coffee after adding a packet of sugar that Candy had left on the table. "But I can tell you right now that you're a brilliant young man and I have no doubt that you'll make some change in the world."

"Yeah, thanks for the encouragement, Dad." He smiled as he drank his coffee.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After meeting with Bill, Dipper decided that he'll pay a visit to an old man he knew. As he drove through the narrow streets of the quiet little town he passed by familiar people that he had met when he had visit before. He saw Robbie and his girlfriend, Tambrie, holding hands from across the table in front of small restaurant, he saw the mailman that Dipper recalled that Soos, the local handyman, suspected him of being a werewolf due to his abundance of body hair. He saw Manly Dan harassing a biker near what it looked like a motorcycle crashed into a fire hydrant. Dipper guessed that the biker crashed and blamed Manly Dan for some reason. Scattered trees soon filled his vision until it was the only thing he could see around the narrow road.

Dipper felt his phone buzz from inside his pocket. He reluctantly took out his phone as he drove down the road. He flipped open his phone to see a message from Wirt. Dipper opened the message when he heard frantic honking from an oncoming car. Dipper quickly looked up from his phone and jerked the wheel to swerve around the car back into his lane. As a result, the oncoming car crashed into the back side of him which made world spin around as the wheels squealed in terror as Dipper tried to regain control of the car.

The next thing he knew he was flying off the hillside into the mass of green trees and was rolling down the steep ditch. The station wagon flipped upside down as it was pulled down the hill, shattering the windshield into hundreds of tiny fragments, down-pouring onto Dipper. The airbag deployed causing Dipper to be forcibly pushed back into the back of his seat and blinding him of the scene that played before him. The station wagon then suddenly was stopped by the trunk of huge oak tree hitting into the passenger side of the car, the door frame near inches away from Dipper's side.

Dipper felt dizzy as he regains alertness. His vision was hazy and his body ached. The sounds of sirens rang throughout the woods. Dipper sighed with relief as he felt his eyes get heavier and heavier. He felt blood gush out of a wound on his cheek along with tinier cuts along his arms, chest and face. All he wanted to do was sleep. But he found the strength to unbuckle himself with shaky hands and push onto the door. It wouldn't budge.

He felt a flood of panic wash over him. Dipper frankly tried to open the door, but the airbag was in his way from being able to push open the door with his shoulder. Not to mention that he could barely apply pressure into his arm without with it shooting pain through him. Luckily the airbag deflated after a few minutes of uselessly pushing on the door. But Dipper by then had grew extremely tired and was panting from the pain and fatigue. His eyes only became even more heavy before he couldn't keep them open any longer. His vision became blurrier as he heard faint yelling and the rustling of the fallen leaves on the ground.

Then it faded into darkness and he passed out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Although it was currently four thirty in the afternoon Wirt had stayed in the clinic waiting for Dipper to wake up. After two long hours of surgery Wirt had watch the lead surgeon approach who Wirt guessed was Dipper's grandfather, who was the only family member there. Wirt was out of earshot as he watched the emotions change on the old man's face. At first he looked relieved, but then faded into concern, and finally into a pained frown. But he managed to stay calm and quietly walk back into the waiting area.

Wirt had stood up and placed his hand on his shoulder. The old man turned around to face him. "Hey, are you here for Dipper Pines? I'm his friend, is he going to be alright?", Wirt asked with a concerned expression.

The man sighed, "For the most part, yes. But the doctor said that he's temporarily blind and he might become permanently blind."

"Blind? H-how did he become blind? Debris or whatever?", Wirt asked quickly, voice full of shock.

The man shook his head, "No, not exactly. Here, let's sit down first. It'll take a while." He walked back into the waiting area and sat down in one of the cheap plastic chairs. "Anyways, I'm Stanford or Ford. I'm Dipper's Great Uncle.", Stanford said as Wirt sat next to him and listened with full attention.

"Uh, nice to meet you. Some way to meet a family member, huh? I'm Wirt.", he held his hand out and shook Stanford's hand.

"Yeah, at least you'll remember this encounter, right? But, back to the subject of the matter; when the airbag deployed Dipper hit the back of his head on a plastic part of the seat. And the area where he hit his head is very sensitive - the area in which he hit it controls sight. In addition, debris had landed into his eyes as well. The doctors say that it can take him from a few days to a few months if he ever regains the ability to see again at all." Ford explained to him.

"We can only hope for the best. Otherwise is he going to be alright?" Wirt sighed.

"Yes, he might have some scars and he fractured his arm, but he should make a full recovery other than maybe his sight.", Ford's attention was drawn to a man asking of his nephew to the receptionist behind the counter.

"Is Dipper Pines available for visitors?" the blonde man asked.

"Um, no. He's not available until tomorrow afternoon if his condition gets better", the female behind the counter replied as she looked up Dipper's status on the computer in front of her.

"What do you mean 'until tomorrow afternoon'?!", the man gritted through his teeth.

Wirt recognized the voice of the angry man and called out to him. "Hey, Bill.", he motioned him to come sit down with them.

Bill turned and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his brick pattern jacket as he joined the two men in the waiting area. "What the hell happened to him? I saw his car on the news; unfortunately, they didn't give any useful information whatsoever. Is he alright?"

Ford had left shortly after Bill arrived, he said that he had to continue his work back at home before leaving. Wirt found that to be rude for leaving his blinded great nephew at the hospital to continue work. He also found it rude that no one else came to check on Dipper.

Deciding that it was best to not think much about it, Wirt explained to Bill what happened to Dipper in the easiest way possible.

"Wait, he's blind? How is he going to do his school work? How is he going to become a famous robotic engineer?" Bill asked with concern.

"I don't know, Bill. He will have to learn how to read braille in the meantime or have someone read and write for him." Wirt sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in thought. "And they might not want him wandering round when he's blind, so they might put him in bed rest while he gains his vision back, if at all. And that might take a few months at the most."

It was silent as they both thought over the situation. It was a lot to take in.

Bill sighed and mumbled to himself lowly, "How is he going to react to all of this?"

 **((AN: Ooh the chapters are getting longer and I'm so happy! Well, besides the fact that my baby is blind now (** **ಥ** **﹏** **ಥ** **). Well, the next chapter will be out soon enough! Get ready for some rivalry!))**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven** : Starting over

September Monday 18, 2000.

Dipper had woke up early in the morning in the hospital after the car crash. When he drowsily opened his eyes his sight was clouded with a thick, dark gray fog around the edges of his vision and stretched into the center where a transparent, glowing white ball was placed. Confused, he tried rubbing the haze from his eyes, but once opening them again the fog had not panicking, Dipper rubbed his eyes with more force in attempt to clear his sight repetetedly.

He groan lowly in frustration and gave up his useless attempts to clear his vision. He could barely see blurry figures through the transparent ball, the figures contorted and shaded with a light gray haze as he looked around the area he was in.

The door creaked open and a small women strode into the room and went directly to the foot of the hospital bed and took a clipboard that was hanging from a hook on the foot board. She scanned over the information written on the paperwork. The women jerked her head up and grinned, "Hello Mr. Pines. Are you feeling alright?", she asked as she moved to the side of the bed to examine his condition further.

Dipper recoiled from her touch as she took his arm into her hand. "Oh, I'm sorry if I hurt you.", the women said remorsefully.

"No, no, i-it's fine, really. But, uh, I-I can't see anything. It's all j-just - blurry..", Dipper sputtered out, "A-am I blind?"

The women hummed in thought for a few moments, "Well, yes. But you're vision may come back."

"W-well, when will I recover?" Dipper urged. The women took a stethoscope from the pocket on her scrubs, "It varies from hours to weeks after the trauma, if at all. It's hard to tell sometimes.", she stuck the earpieces in and placed the end of the tool on Dipper's chest.

Dipper stiffen at the touch of the cold object through the thin hospital gown. "It's alright, I'm just checking your heart beat." the women reassured him. "Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Ms. Northwest."

Dipper frowned in thought, that name sounded familiar. "Like Pacifica Northwest?"

The women paused her movements, "Uh, yeah. Do I know you?"

"Dipper Pines? Ring any bells?"

She removed the stethoscope from her ears and wrapped the tool around her neck, "Sorry, no bells are ringing."

"Um, well do you know Mabel Pines? She's my sister. You two kinda talked together when we visited our great uncle during the summer. I think it was 1992- maybe 93." Dipper explained.

"Mabel Pines? You're her brother? That weirdo that explored the forests by himself and claimed there were monsters?"

"Yeah. And that weirdo was blinded after getting into a car crash. Oh, and that weirdo is your patient; the only reason why you're getting an income and all."

"Tch, not true. I could have stayed home and bum off my family's fortune. But I decided that I actually wanted a life and work for the things I want, thank you very much."

"Still giving you that income." He smirked.

Pacifica rolled her eyes in irritation, "Just sit up so I can finish checking up on you and sooner I'll leave- win, win."

Dipper obliged and sat up, shuttering slightly from the dull pain aching in his lower back. "Heh, nice to see you again too."

Soon after Pacifica left another nurse brought Dipper a tray of cheap breakfast foods. Todays meal being soggy but hard pancakes with obviously prepackaged scrambled eggs. All accompanied by milk that was basically baby formula.

As Dipper managed to finish off the soggy pancakes the door creaked open. He instinctively whipped his head up to the sound, all he could see through the haze was a contorted tall figure peering out the doorway holding a bundle of plants, he assumed.

"Um, who are you? I can't really see well." Dipper called out.

"Uh, it's Bill." Dipper felt a pang of disappointment, thinking that Wirt was the one bringing him flowers. "How are you doing?" Bill asked as he pulled up a chair to the side of his bed, sitting in it backwards his long legs jutting out from the back of the plastic chair.

Dipper let out an awkward breathy chuckle, "Honestly, I've been a lot better."

"Yeah, I bet. I brought you flowers by the way.", He set the bundle of flowers on his lap gently, "I didn't know if you're allergic to anything, so I just got peach roses."

Dipper reached out to the bundle and held it close to his nose, "No, I'm not allergic to anything. They smell nice. Thank you, but you really didn't have to. My family should be getting here in a day or two and I bet they'll spoil me."

"In a day or two? They're not coming today? Why the hell not? You're blind for fuck's sake!" He shouted angrily.

Dipper motioned him to lower his voice with his hands, "Calm down, they're in California and the doctors called them yesterday. They are really busy with their work so taking off might be difficult." He sighed and rubbed his face mumbling "I don't even know where Mabel is. She must be worried sick about me.."

"Mabel? That's your sister right? The one that talked to you all night on the first day of school? Yeah, tell her that she owes me twelve bucks for sleeping pills."

He scoffed at him, "Be serious Bill, she means alot to me. Why are you even here? Shouldn't you be in class right now?"

"Yes, I should be in class but I decided to skip today to keep you company. I figured that it gets pretty lonely when you're stuck in a room by yourself all day." Bill said as he waved his hand around lazily. "Especially with your eyes and broken arm you got there."

Dipper stayed silent, his heart sinking into a pit. He was a broken doll. Once so brilliant now reduced to scraps of an unattainable dream.

Buzzing from Bill's pocket filled the moment of silence. He held up his finger, asking him to wait a moment as he took out his bulky cell phone. Bill stood up from the chair and wandered over to a corner of the room as he took the phone call. He murmured into the phone in a language Dipper didn't recognize, he spoke quickly into the speaker.

Suddenly his voice changed back to English, "Yeah, I'll see you in a couple weeks… I'll try to remember. But give me some credit, I've been pretty good about taking them! ...Okay, bye. Oh, and tell Tony that he still owes me twenty bucks. Twenty bucks means life or death in college. ..Hahah, yeah. Alright, bye. Love you."

Bill clicked the 'end call' button on the keypad of the flip phone and shoved it back into his pocket. He ran his fingers through his blonde hair and sighed, mumbling under his breath, "Shit.. I hate doing that to her." He recollected his thoughts and sat back down next to Dipper, smiling faintly.

"So what was that all about? I didn't know you knew a different language." Dipper said with interest.

Bill chuckled awkwardly, "Yeah, haven't you ever heard me talk on the phone? My family mainly speaks Coptic, which is only spoke by handful of people now in Egypt. To keep Coptic alive my family teaches every generation how to speak it. It's tradition now."

He furrowed his eyebrows in thought, "Coptic? I don't think I know that language. I'm guessing it's pretty old, right?"

"Yeah, I mean, it originated in the second century and all." Bill explained glancing around the spotted wallpaper pasted to the walls of the small room. Luckily Dipper didn't have to share a room with another person.

"So, tell me more about your family. You said your parents are in California, right?"

"Um, well I lived in California most of my life but during the summers my parents would ship us here to get us out of the house. We'd stay with our Great Uncle Ford in a small cabin in the woods on the edge of Gravity Falls.", he explained briefly and continued. "My mother is a lawyer and my father is a real-estate agent, so they are usually at work or doing something work related. And when they weren't working they made sure that Mabel and I were loved and cherished. I don't know how they managed to do it, but they did it. They'd take us to parks, museums, amusement parks.. ", he smiled faintly as he recalled a memory when he was younger.

Bill tapped his chin in thought and interrupted Dipper's mini monologue, "I take back what I originally thought of your parents."

Dipper couldn't help but to chuckle softly in amusement,"What did you originally think of them then?"

"I thought they were asswipes for not immediately coming to see you. But, I guess you have redeemed them. They should thank you for that. I keep grudges." Bill placed his chin in his palm as his arm rested on the back of the chair. His eyes drooped lazily.

"Not everyone can drop everything for someone Bill. It's alright. I have you to keep me company, don't I?" He said as he looked down at his lap and smiled to himself as he picked at his fingernails. Dipper directed his gaze to Bill as he finished his statement.

"Yeah", he smiled back, "You have me."

As soon as Bill left the room because it was getting late Dipper requested a nurse if he could use the phone. The women obliged to his request and dialed the phone for him, handing the bulky box before leaving the room to give him his privacy. Dipper held the speaker up to his ear as it rung. He waited in anticipation as the ringing droned on. "Come on pick up, pick up." He mumbled under his breath.

It suddenly picked up, "Hello, this is Mabel Pine's cell."

"Mabel? H-hey, it's me.", He held the phone tight in his hand anxiously.

"Oh, hey Dipper! Long time no talk! What are you up to? Has college been nice to ya?" Mabel spoke with glee.

"Yeah, college has been alright so far.", he answered lowly. Maybe his parents didn't have time to tell her. "Um, Mabel?"

"Yeah, what is it? You don't really seem into it. Are you alright Dipper?", She asked sounding concerned.

"Have you talked to Mom and Dad lately?"

"No, I haven't I should soon though. Why, what's up?"

"Well uh", Dipper paused swallowing a lump in the back his throat, "I'm in the hospital."

She didn't reply quickly as she normally does. She had to take this in for a moment. "Why? What happened Dipper?", Mabel said briskly, tension in her voice.

Dipper sighed in affliction, "I-I kinda got into a car crash."

Mabel made a barely audible gasp. "Oh my god, are you alright?"

Dipper paused in thought. _This is going to crush her. But she has a right to know._ "Uh, n-no.. I was blinded in the crash.." Mabel stayed quiet on the other end. Dipper started to panic, sputtering out words, "I-it's alright Mabel! It's possible t-that I might gain my eyesight back!"

He could hear faint sobbing from Mabel on the other line, he too started to feel tears well up at the corners of his eyes.

"I'm going to Oregon" Mabel said trying to keep her voice from wavering.

"Where a-are you now?" Dipper asked wiping the tears from his eyes.

"San Francisco." Mabel stated simply.

"But that's at least a four day drive, maybe even more! Mabel, it's fine. Mom and Dad should be here in a day or two."

"I don't care if it's a couple days; I don't care if it's a couple years. I am going to Oregon. And when I get there I'm going to hug you to death." Mabel suddenly hung up after her statement, leaving Dipper no time to argue. He sighed in exasperation, once she made up her mind there was no way to make her change her mind.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Sparks

Dipper sat in the lonely hospital room with the beeping from the heart monitor mocking him as he laid under the paper-thin sheets draped over his bed in the darkening room trying to sleep although it was only seven o'clock in the afternoon. He heard a faint tapping at his door, rubbing the crust forming around his eyelids, he sat up shuddering. "Come in."

A slim, tall figure opened the door slowly, "H-hey, how are you doing?" By his voice it was revealed that the figure was no other than Wirt. Dipper felt the corners of his mouth perk up.

"Oh, hey Wirt. You don't have to worry about me, I'm doing alright for the most part." He replied quietly. Wirt held a palm-sized box decorated with red and white stripes in his hand as he dragged the chair on the side of the bed closer and sat down. "That's good to hear." He said somberly.

"Are you... alright Wirt?", Dipper asked him hoarsely with worried eyes.

Wirt exhaled sharply and smiled genuinely, "Uh, yeah. I'm fine, don't worry about it. I'm just glad that you're alright, that's all."

Dipper thought he could hear melancholy within the quiet tone of his voice. Adjusting to figuring out emotions by voice alone was a bit difficult, so Dipper assumed that he might have misunderstood what Wirt felt and decided that it was best not to press on. "Yeah.", he agreed nodding slightly, "So how has school been?"

"Pretty well I guess. I don't have any reason to complain really.", Wirt said chuckling softly under his breath.

Dipper paused for a moment in thought for a new focal point. Only a few sentences in and he was already pondering what to talk about. Too bad there wasn't any classes to teach you how to speak to people.

"Oh, I just realized that I never asked you what you major in.", Dipper noted to aloud and smiled and laughed at himself. "What do you major in?", Dipper added jokingly.

Wirt huffed with amusement, "I decided to major in Chemistry so I can go to Med School."

"Med School? I wouldn't have thought of you being a doctor." He stated.

"Yeah, well-", Wirt paused and cleared his throat awkwardly, "Never mind. So, I- uh- I got you something." He said plainly as he placed the small striped box onto Dipper's lap.

Dipper accepted the container and fumbled to open the lid, "It's not grand, but I thought you would like it.", Wirt continued as he lifted the covering up. Dipper took the small item from the box and twirled it between his fingers. "A ring?", he brushed his thumb over the surface of it and felt engravings cut into it. "What's on it?"

"Yeah, it's a ring. Oh, um there's trees on it. They look like pine trees or maybe evergreens? I'm not sure." Wirt said, half to himself and swaying his head to the side awkwardly, smiling sheepishly.

"Thank you. I imagine it's really pretty." Dipper smiled and grazed his thumb over it once again.

Wirt took Dipper's hand gently and slid the ring onto his ring finger.

"Well when you get your vision back you'll be able to see it yourself."

Dipper felt his heart flutter inside his chest and air escape from his lungs like smoke seeping through the chimney. His words filled him with endearment for the boy. Wirt's soft hands taking his with great care left Dipper flooded with strange emotions he hadn't felt about anyone before, or at least not as strongly.

Dipper gave Wirt small sheepish smile, yeah. T-thank you Wirt."

"Yeah, no problem." Wirt replied, noticing Dipper's sudden giddiness. He smiled widely. "So, have your parents show up yet?"

"Uh, no, but they'll be here in a few days. Takes a while to drive here from California." Dipper said as he still had a tiny grin plastered to his face.

Wirt mouthed an 'o', soon realizing that Dipper still can't see his facial expressions. He took a mental note of that, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Oh, okay."

"So you haven't told me about your parents. I mean, I know you have a step-dad and brother, but that's about it." Dipper said trying to sound as casual as possible.

Wirt mumbled and gazed down at the at the ground awkwardly, "I don't have much to say about them. Normal middle class white family in the suburbs in Michigan."

"Oh, well what do your mom and step-dad do for work?" Dipper asked.

Wirt sighed and hummed in thought for a short moment, "Ah, well, my mother is a nurse and my step-father owns a hardware company."

"Oh, so is that why you want to be a doctor?", he questioned with his head slightly cocked to the side with interest.

Wirt sighed a bit and rubbed the back of his neck out of nervousness. "Yeah, part of it. It's kind of a tradition in our family, I guess. My mother owns the hospital and wants to pass it down to me."

"Oh, sounds a lot to carry. I don't really like traditions like that. What if you don't want to be a doctor? You can't force people to give up all their dreams for a stupid thing like that." Dipper rambled on half to himself.

"Yeah, I guess you're right.", Wirt smiled faintly.

A sudden rapid onslaught of knocks came from the other side of the wooden door before a male nurse pulled the door open. He spoke with some edge in his voice, "Sir, all visitors are permitted to leave at this time. You may come back in the morning at ten o'clock."

Wirt stood up from the plastic chair, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize.", Wirt turned back to Dipper. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Get better soon." Wirt said warmly. His voice silky and husky as he turned and left, the tapping of his converses against the tiles echoing out of the room and the door shutting indicated that he left.

Dipper was short of breath again as he clutched the cloth on his chest. "What. The hell. Was that?"

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It was about half-past seven in the afternoon when a three taps interrupted the silence within the dorm room. Bill jerked his head up to the sound and frowned in confusion. He didn't invite anyone over. Bill pushed on the desk in front of him and scooted out of his chair and spun the door open, smiling. His smile slowly faded as he realized who it was.

Bill grimaced, "Do you need something Wirt?"

The man glanced around at the beige, narrow hallway, "Yeah, may I come in for a moment? It will only take a minute."

He grudgingly stepped to the side of the doorway. "What is it?"

Wirt took a step in and Bill closed the door behind him. "It's about Dipper. I figured since you're his dorm mate you'll know him better than anyone else."

"Can we hurry this up? I have a ton of homework to do." Bill said furrowing his eyes slightly and folding his arms. Wirt's ramblings may be endearing to others but they were nothing but time wasters. More time he had to be in the same room as him.

Wirt rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before straightening up and smiling sheepishly, "Ah, right, sorry. I wanted to have suggestions on what to get him for a little 'get well soon' present."

Bill felt the blood in his veins start to heat up. "I don't know. Look, even if I did know I wouldn't let you steal my thunder anyways." The taller man stepped closer and loomed over him. "Back off", he spat out in a harsh hushed tone. "I don't know who you think you are", Wirt stumbled backwards and pressed his back up against the door nervously. Bill slammed his hand against the door and pinned him against the door," but you aren't going to prevent me from getting what I want. Do you understand me?" His face mere inches away from Wirt's. Wirt recoiled as his hot breath hit his face. Bill's deep hazel eyes burning holes into Wirt's skin.

Wirt nodded quickly, "Crystal clear."

"Good. Now, stay away from Dipper and get out." Bill growled and stepped away from him. Wirt nodded meekly and scrambled to open the door. As Wirt quickly exited Bill called out to him with a sarcastic cheerful tone, "Have a good day!" he grinned and waved. Wirt smiled nervously and closed the door behind him.

Wirt stuffed his hands into his pockets and practically started to speed walk down the hallway down the flight of stairs. "What the hell was that?"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Drowning

(TRIGGER WARNING! Read at your own risk)

As the days passed by Dipper found himself taking a lot more naps throughout the day now that he couldn't do much at the moment. When he wasn't sleeping he'd have the nurses open a window so the sounds of nature seeped into the lonesome hospital room. Although he spent most of his life in the city, Dipper had always enjoyed nature and what noises it brought with it.

It was around noon when Dipper was snoozing under the thin hospital sheets and the young blond haired women, Pacifica, strode into the polka-dotted room. She rolled her eyes at the sight of the boy idly sleeping away. She harshly grasped his shoulder and shook him.

"Dipper, wake up. It's Pacifica." She said as he jolted awake.

"Christ, Pacifica! You scared the living daylights out of me. What is it?" Dipper frowned as he sat up wiping the crust from his eyes.

"You have a few visitors." She turned to signal the group of people in the doorway to enter the room. An older man, a middle aged couple and a young adult female approached the bedside. The middle aged women let out an audible gasp of horror.

"Dipper?" her shaky voice sliced through the air. A younger female voice followed on the brink of breaking down. "Oh my god, Dipper."

Dipper felt the heat rise up his chest and water well up at the edges of his eyes. He spoke breathlessly as his voice started to tremble, "Mom? Mabel?"

Pacifica watched on the sidelines as the Pines family reunited once again. "I-I'll just leave you be to catch up. I'll be around if you need anything.", she muttered as she exited the room. The middle aged man nodded gratefully towards her and dismissed her presence.

Dipper's mother let out a melancholy chuckle, "Y-yes, it's me honey." She sat down on the side of the bed. "Mabel, your father, and Great Uncle Ford are here too."

The hot tears that build up eventually started to cascade down his cheeks as he choked on his sobs, "M-mom. I'm s-so-sorry."

His mother couldn't hold back the tears that dared to fall from her eyes either, "It's n-not your fault honey." she embraced him in a gentle hug. Dipper gripped onto the cloth on her back and buried his face into her shoulder as his tears poured down. Mabel had to turn away and press her face into her father's chest as he held her in his arms and patted her back, sobs and gasps of air escaping from her too. Ford kept his cool and avoided to make eye contact with his crying nephew and niece.

As a few moments past Dipper calmed down and manage to choke out between sobs, "How d-did you get here s-so fast Mabel? I t-thought you were in San Francisco."

Mabel swallowed the lump in the back of her throat and smiled awkwardly, "Coffee can bring you a long way."

Dipper huffed in amusement, "Yeah, tell me a-about it.." he smiled a bit and pulled away from his mother, wiping the water from his cheeks.

"Now, Dipper", Ford called out, "When you get better and are released you have to decide if you want to go back to California or stay with me here until the trimester ends. In California we'll have to get you a nurse so you can get whatever you need while your parents are at work, but here I'll be able to take care of you since I have a stay-at-home job."

Dipper paused in thought for a few heartbeats and swallowed thickly, "I, um.. Can I sleep on it?"

His father spoke up, "Of course. We just need to know before you're released so we can get your stuff from your dorm room and get a space situated for you."

Dipper nodded his head gratefully and smiled awkwardly to lighten up the mood that hung like a fog in the room. "S-so how are things back home? Is everything alright?"

Dipper's father coughed awkwardly towards his mother and dipped his head trying to tell her to answer. She rolled her eyes in response and huffed. "Um, well do you remember your great Uncle Stan?"

Dipper hummed in thought for a few moments before nodding his head slightly.

"Yeah, well he's been trying to join our family outings again."

"Even after what he did to Ford?"

She nodded, swallowing a lump in the back of her throat, "Yeah. And he doesn't have anywhere to stay, so Ford has decided to put the past behind him and let him stay at his house until he can get back up on his feet. You know how he is with money and all.." She trailed on.

A gruff voice boomed from the doorway, "You know I can hear you, Darla"

The Pines turned their attention to the newcomer, a look of grimace washed over Ford and the twins' mother and father.

In onision Dipper and Mabel's eyes lit up with excitement at the sound. "Grunkle Stan!", Mabel squealed as she bounded across the room to the entry-way to embrace the old man in a tight hug.

"Heheh, hey pumpkin. Did you miss your old man?" Stan chuckled and brushed his knuckles roughly over Mabel's head. She tried squeezing her head into the folds on his arms as an attempt to escape from Stan's fabled noggie.

She let out a squeal of laughter in response, "Grunkle Stan! Hahah, stop that!" Stan eventually let her loose and grinned as he looked up at his brother. Ford wore an expression that obviously showed that he was trying to be polite but showed agitation nonetheless. Stan's grin faded as he directed his attention towards Dipper whom was still smiling widely.

"Grunkle Stan! It's great to see you again- well uh- you know what I mean." He softly chuckled at himself as he strained to make out the figure covered by haze as it approached the bed's end.

"Yeah, don't sweat it kid. It's great to see you too." he felt the sides of his mouth perk up as Mabel attached herself onto his waist.

They wasted what felt like a lifetime talking about each other's stories and tales until they decided to leave to let Dipper get some rest. The Pines rallied later at the local diner to discuss further in privacy from Dipper about his condition and try to organize a plan for when he will be released from the hospital.

As patter of rain knocked at the diner windows while a soft yellow glow lit up the small establishment, chatter filled the air. "I just don't know if we could trust someone to look after him while we are off working, Darla." Her husband announced abruptly.

Her harsh tone sliced through the noisy air "Well what else do you expect me to do Jarred? We can't quit our jobs! Well I don't know about you, but I can't."

"I never said that! I just think that we should have someone that he trusts to take care of him while he goes through this tough time of his life." Jarred placed his hand on Darla's. She refused to look up at him and kept her gaze directed to her lap, "I know this is hard for you, it's hard for everyone, but right now Dipper needs us more than ever."

Mabel, who sat across from her mother and father in the small booth crammed between her Great Uncles, picked at her cuticles on her fingernails. "I agree with Dad, Dipper is safer here. Ford and Stan will be at the house most of the time."

"It's not our decision either way, Dipper should be the deciding factor in all of this." Ford added.

A silence washed over the Pines as they each reviewed the situation within their minds. Although their minds had differing opinions on the scenario, they shared the same drowning feeling in their hearts; fear.

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 **(TRIGGER WARNING: UP AHEAD. HALLUCINATIONS, DEPRESSION, AND PILLS! Read at your own risk.)**

Within the dark room painted with the pale shine of the moon filtering through panes of glass gasps and sobs of despair fill the heavy air. Where walls collide a figure curls up and buries his face into his legs that so painfully squeeze against his chest. The blonde slowly raises his head and glimpses around the darkened dorm. He wipes the hot tears from his eye as they haze his vision. On the desk that sits at the end of his bed he sees a silhouette of a small white bottle. A beacon of hope, the man throws his legs over the side of the bed but before he stands up he glances at the ground as it pulls away from him into a bottomless pit. He shrieks in horror and retreats to his safe black corner. His legs raise up to his chest again as he lowers his face into his knees and sinks deeper into his hole of pitifulness.

His head trembles as he gains the courage to scan the room again. The little white bottle beckons him again as the pale moon directs its ray onto it. He takes a shaky breath before scrambling off the bed, keeping his sight on the white container. He dared not to look at the ground below him. The world started to pull away and shadows grew larger as he approached the bottle. He stopped in his tracks and tightly squeezed his eyes shut, covering his chest to protect himself, whimpering in fear as he heard their voices fade into the distance.

Once the voices drowned into the silence he peeked out from one of his shut eyes to see the room as it should be. He took a step forward and snatched the bottle from the shadowed desk quickly. It rattled as the boy picked it up, the noise gave the boy hope and brief happiness as he scanned the room for the bathroom. Although the room felt familiar it oddly felt like he had never been there before. He dashed to the door not looking back into the shadowed filled room. He flicked the switch that was mounted on the wall as the small bathroom was flooded with light. The boy peered into the glassy pane that reflected a man with purple stained skin underneath his puffy red eyes. He wiped his eyes as tears began to fill his vision again and exhaled. His hands shook as he twisted the lid off the bottle, the rattle of pills giving more confidence. _Soon everything will be alright, everything will be alright._

The child proof lid proved to be difficult to open, making the man more and more anxious each try. As the lid finally gives in the last two pills that rattled at the bottom of the container jumped out of the bottle and into the sink's drain.

"No, no, no!", he screamed in horror as he desperately tried to catch the two capsules as they plummeted down the hole. He slumped down in defeat and slammed his fist on the counter. He sinks down onto the ground as wails of sorrow escaped passed his lips. His back to the counter, he throws his head back against the wooden cabinets and gripped his hair, discarding the empty pill bottle onto the ground. He slowly drowns into the silence.

(AN: Hey guys! Now that summer has started will be writing a lot more now. So, yay! I really hope you're not too mad at me.. But uh, I'd like to thank my beta reader TheGreatDortio and my editor Skypher!

Right now I am also working on another fanfic with TheGreatDorito called "Indigo Dreams".)


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: A Hopeful Sight

The blonde woke up with a start, jolting in sudden alertness. He gripped his head as the fog slowly began to drain from his mind and found himself lying in the shaggy place-mat in front of the bathroom sink, artificial light beaming into his eyes.

"The hell happened last night?", Bill mumbled under his breath as he sat up. As he staggered to his feet he squinted his eyes to the reflection in the mirror as he peered into the glassy pane. Hair sticking up in every other direction and large black circles under his eyes, eyeliner smeared across his face and rain down from his eyes. When did he put on eyeliner? He shook his head and dismissed it that he drank too much and blacked out.

Bill flicked the faucet on and washed the remnants of the makeup off. As he dried his face off with a hand towel he glanced over to a pill bottle sitting on its side in the corner of the room. He bent over and picked the bottle up, it was lighter than he expected and made no noise. Bill flipped it over to it's label, _Take two each day._ _Refill by 9/30/2000._

Bill huffed and threw the bottle in the trashcan.

Familiar buzzing filled the main room. Bill trotted out of the bathroom and followed the noise emitting from his cellphone placed on his desk, he picked up the small box and answered the call.

"Yeah, who is this?", His voice raspy and gruff in the speaker.

"Oh, this is Kryptos. The guys wanted me to ask you if you wanted to go to the club tonight." The young adult said cheerily.

Bill frowned in confusion, "Didn't we go last night?"

"Uh, no? What kind of weed are you smoking? Pye and I tried calling you last night but you didn't pick up."

He rubbed his eye and sighed, "I- uh, yeah. Sure, sounds fine. We meeting at Hector's place again?"

The boy on the other line hummed in thought before shouting to someone for clarification. "Hey! Are we meeting at Hector's place again, Pye?!"

Bill frowned and pulled the speaker away from his ear, glaring at the small cellphone. "Jesus Kryptos! Are you trying to make me deaf too?", he barked as he put the phone back in place.

Kryptos ducked his head on the other line and muttered apologetically, "Sorry boss. Anyways, Pye is going to check in with Hector first. I'll get back to you in a little. Alright, see you in a little bit!"

"Likewise, see you later." The call ended with abrupt beeping in his ear. He sighed and rolled his eyes at Kryptos. Whilst, he caught a flash of yellow in the corner of his eye. He peered down at the black desk with a post-it note pasted to its surface.

Bill snatched it up and examined the blue pen ink that was scribbled onto it.

Jumbled and incoherent letters mashed together to create unreadable sentences to anyone but him. He squinted as he slowly decoded the message. He crumbled up the paper and discarded the ball in the trash can wedged between the space his desk and bed, mumbling curses under his breath, "Fuck both of you."

He threw himself onto the stiff mattress and let out an exasperated sigh. Bill flipped over onto his back and glared up at the bumpy surface of the white ceiling. Unwanted images began to shroud his mind.

" _Dad? Are you home?"_

 _Clouds of smoke left the stinging smell of tobacco hanging in the air. Glass bottles pile onto the living room coffee table as the blaring TV drowns his cries._

" _Dad, I had another nightmare."_

 _The brawny man let out an angry shout as he sat up. "Shut the hell up! I can't hear the damn Television!"_

 _Bill whimpered and flinched as he slams his foot on the ground. He sighed and went back to his room, dragging his blanket and stuffed bear behind him._

Bill was pulled back into reality at the sound of loud banging from outside the door. He rubbed the drowsiness from his eyes and pushed himself off of the bed.

"I hear you, hold on." he said as he trotted over to the door.

As he pulled the door open, before he could register who it was, a hand reached out and swiftly whipped the side of his face. Bill held his cheek as blood rushed to the surface and sent a prickling feeling.

Bill growled as he lifted his head to the culprit, "The fuck man!?"

"That's for not saying goodbye before you left." The shorter brunette man walked into the room past him.

"Tad? What are you doing here?", he frowned and closed the door behind him.

Tad waltzed through the room examining its contents, clothes and empty pop cans scattered across the room, a messy bed accompanied with a messy desk. But oddly, the bed on the left was made and kept tidy, along with organized figurines placed on shelves above the bed. Tad mused to himself and sat down on the more tidy bed, folding his lanky legs neatly.

"I wanted to pay my lovely brother a visit." he smirked and he chuckled softly.

Bill let out a breathy chuckle full of sarcasm, "So why are you really here?", he paused for a moment, "And I'd really prefer if you didn't sit on that bed." He folded his arms and gave him a stern glare.

Tad batted his eyes and put up his hands in a defensive gesture before standing up, "Alright, alright.", he sighed and mimicked Bill's stance and folded his arms. "Our mother wanted me to check up on you.", Bill blinked in surprise as he added on, "Even sent you a little gift basket."

Bill's gaze wandered towards the carpet, "I really don't understand her sometimes."

Tad gave a small smile as he took a step closer to the man, "You know how she is. She doesn't care about money, she cares about us more than anything."

He sighed softly and mumbled, "Yeah, I know." Bill redirected his attention to Tad, "It's just, she could use it for better purposes but decides to use it on us."

"Hey, just shut up and accept the dang gift."

He frowned at him, Tad giving him an innocent and sheepishly smile. Bill rolled his eyes and couldn't help but smile, "Okay, alright. So where is it?"

Tad blinked at him before his eyes danced around the beige room in thought, "Shoot", he brought his gaze back up at him, "I left it in the car."

Bill stared at him with his lips eyebrows crunched up for a few heartbeats before suddenly dipping his head, "Of course you did.." he said as he patted his shoulder passive aggressively and spinning on the balls of his feet towards the door.

Tad quietly laughed as he followed him in tow out the door.

On approaching Tad's car, Bill leaned on the hood as his brother fumbled with a ring filled to the rim with keys.

Bill let out a barely audible melancholy chuckle as he thought to himself, looking out at the rows of parked cars in front of dorm buildings. "Hey, funny story. This morning I woke up in the bathroom floor in front of the sink." Tad responded in an unfocused mumbled as he flipped through the pile of keys. Bill looked back at him, aware he wasn't paying him full attention, but continued nonetheless. "Yeah, I had eyeliner on and I found an empty pi-", he cut himself off and sighed, "Nevermind. You're not even paying attention." He grumbled and returned to his previous position on the hood of the car.

"Ah hah! I found it!" Tad said triumphantly as he shoved the key into the lock, opening the driver's door. Bill joined by his side, "Finally. After about a decade."

The car doors all unlocked with a push of button on the inside of the driver door. Tad reached into the back of the car and retrieved a woven wood basket filled with miniature gifts and fake grass that are typically only used in Easter baskets. Tad represented the gift to Bill, "Ta-da! From Mother Cipher to her lovely baby boy."

"I thought this was for me.", Bill smirk grew across his features as Tad's expression grew into a pouty frown.

Tad punched his shoulder. "Shut up and take the dang basket."

Bill took him by the neck and brought him down and roughly rubbed his knuckles across his brunette hair. "Aww, my baby brother is so adorable when he pouts like that!"

Tad bursted out in laughter as he tried to wiggle his way out of the headlock, "Oh my god Bill! I swear, if I had a free hand I'd deck you right here in the parking lot."

Bill chuckled and released him from his grip. "They grow up so fast.", he dramatically sniffled and wiped his eye, "It brings a tear to my eye."

"I hate you so much."

"I love you too!"

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His phone rang as Bill chewed on popcorn covered with caramel that he received in the gift basket. Bill picked up his phone that laid next to him on the bed.

"Yo, whaddup?" he said as he quickly swallowed the remnants of popcorn.

"Hey! So turns out that Hector has the flu and so he can't come, and well, it'll be awkward if we show up there." Kryptos rambled on from the other line, bouncing his head as he held the phone up to his ear.

"Yeah, I know. So where _can_ we met up?", he said as he shoved a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

"8-Ball said he we could use his house." he replied simply.

"Great. What time should I be there? Should I bring anything?"

Kryptos hummed in thought for a moment, "Eh, an hour or two. And you don't have to bring anything, we got it Boss!"

"Alright, meet you ther-" Bill said mid sentence as Kryptos interrupted him.

"Hold on there, don't you want to chat for a bit?" he gave a hopeful smile over the phone.

Bill furrowed his eyes in confusion and squeezed his lips together tightly, his eyes glanced around his bed as he tried to think of a response. "Uh, sorry" he grabbed the popcorn bag and held it close to the speaker, crunching it up to create a static effect, "I- can't hear- you. I'm going -through- a tunnel. Goodbye!" Bill quickly clicked the 'end call' button before he could respond.

He threw his phone to the foot of his head, "Well looks like I'm going to have to use Pyronica for information for now on.." he shoved another handful of popcorn into his mouth as he stared at the wall in front of him.

He tapped his knuckles on the wooden door that stood before him. He shifted his weight to the side as he stuck his hands in the pocket of his yellow jacket. He grumbled to himself wishing that he could find his gloves. From inside the building he could loud talking muffled by the walls that separated the outside. After a few freezing cold moments Bill rang the doorbell multiple times hasty.

A curvy gypsy women swiftly opened the door with a grin spread across her smooth features. Her hair dipped in hot pink dye at the ends and wearing her signature golden maang tikka Indian headpiece adorn with deep red rubies and opal gemstones.

She grinned at the sight of the boy, "Bill! Ah great to see you! Come in, come in!"

Bill smiled gratefully and stepped in after her as she glided across the floor, her long pink mesh scarf swaying behind her. "Thanks Pyronica, I was freezing my ass out there."

Pyronica waved dismissively not sparing him a glance as she moved down the open hallway into the living room, Bill in tow.

Cheering grew louder as they entered the very spacious living room. The whole gang gathered and crammed together on the sofas and furniture like a flock of vultures around two men wrestling on the ground. The taller one pinning the very short man on the ground, his fist raised in the air.

"Whoa, hey, whoa hold on here. W-what's going on?", Bill said abruptly. Everyone turned their heads towards him and froze in place. "I am very disappointed in all of you.", they collectively lowered their heads in shame.

"For starting without me!" He shouted as he leaped onto an empty spot on one of the sofas, the group screamed with excitement as the two men on the floor continued to fight on the carpet.

Pyronica leaned onto the arm of the couch next to where Bill sat as he watched the scene before him.

"So, who do you think will win?" She smirked and gazed down at him.

"Haha, are you serious? Bet twenty bucks that Teeth will lose.", Bill gave her a confident grin.

Pyronica looked back at the fighting men and smirked, "You're on."

The Native American man pinned to the ground squirmed under the paler man as he tried to break free from his grasp. The man above him had lowered his fist to staple his wrists to the ground, he grinned down at Teeth before spitting out and strain of salva. The watching crowd roared with amusement as Teeth tried to avoid the string of spit.

Teeth pathetically sputtered out, "8-Ball, c'mon! It was a joke man! Just let me go!" He squeezed his eyes shut and turned his cheek in embrace of the wet substance landing on his skin at any moment.

The spit landed on his cheek, 8-Ball dismounted him and sat on the floor next to him as he screamed in horror.

"Fuck! That's so fucking disgusting!", Teeth cried as he swiftly tried to wipe the spit off his face with his plaid sleeve. 8-Ball laughed at him, drowned by the roar of applause from the audience. The Russian man patted the other man's shoulder before standing up and joining the others near the sofas.

Bill grinned up at Pyronica as she furrowed her eyebrows and avoided eye contact with him. She pulled her wallet out of her pocket and forked over a twenty dollar bill without turning to face him. Bill chuckled at her child-like pouting and shoved the dollar into his pocket. The couch dipped as someone sat down next to the blonde. He glanced over to the seat next to him, recognizing the Indian man wearing a dark blue shirt with suspenders as none other than Kryptos. Bill fought back the urge rolling his eyes and huffing with agitation as he looked at the bucktooth man smiling.

Pyronica chuckled and nudged Bill on the shoulder, "I'll just leave you two alone" she winked before joining a cluster of people on the other sofa. Bill glared up at her as she left.

"So what was up with the phone call earlier?", he asked suddenly forcing Bill to look back at him.

"I said I went through a tunnel.", Bill grumbled in response. Kryptos replied with a simple "oh" before falling silent. They sat awkwardly in silence as the rest of the group were talking loudly and echoed around the large living room.

"Hey, Bill! What are you two doing over there?" Teeth called over to him, the rest fell into a quiet shush.

"Why do you care, man?", a broad African man said, sporting brunette dreadlocks and oddly a colorful party hat called out from the crowd. He nudged Teeth's arm and gave a cheeky smile, "Is someone jealous?"

The group of eight let burst with laughter at his comment.

"No! What the hell, Zanthar?" Teeth retorted barely heard over the laughing bunch.

"I mean, I see where he's coming from. Teeth was practically drooling!", Pyronica chirped in.

"No, I think that was 8-Ball!", Zanthar chuckled. Laughter filled the air as Teeth's face heated up.

"I hate you guys so fucking much.." he grumbled as he walked over the kitchen to grab a beer.

Bill rolled his eyes and chuckled at them, mumbling under his breath, "What the hell is wrong with them?"

Amorphous Shape, wearing 80's style clothing with bright colors and tassels, sat down next the Kryptos and started to chat.

Bill held his breath and thanked Allah for letting him out of there. He quickly made his escape and strode in long steps to where Pyronica stood. Bill punched her arm in revenge.

She smirked at him, "Did you guys have a good time?"

"Fuck you", he growled.

"At least take me to dinner first.", Pyronica said cooly, Bill glared daggers at the girl.

"You're literally that annoying big sister. That's who you are."

"Yeah, I know.", she chuckled and returned her attention to the conversation the others were having.

"-All I'm saying is that maybe you should stop fucking eating my Sour Patch Kids and I won't borrow your pen.", 8-Ball said directed to the short man standing near Pyronica wearing a blue plaid shirt, glasses and the same key necklace he wears 24/7.

"I wouldn't be tempted to eat them if you didn't leave them on your drawer for weeks on end. You weren't going to eat them anyways." The man called Keyhole calmly responded as everyone turned their heads to him.

"I was going to eventually!", he frowned and threw his arms in the air.

"That's also what you said about that McDonald's Big Mac that you left in your room for a fucking year, Adrian. A fucking year." Keyhole repeated for theatrical effect.

The group let out a low grumble of anticipation.

Bill leaned over to Pyronica and whispered into her ear, "What are they bickering about?"

She shrugged, "Something about Sour Patch Kids.. You know, sibling rivalry and stuff." Bill nodded in acknowledgement and returned his attention to the two fighting brothers.

"Hey, how about we calm down and talk this out?", Kryptos intervened waving his hands in a friendly manner.

"Shut up, Kryptos."

Kryptos frowned and sank back into the couch cushions.

The moment of tense silence was broken with Pryronica letting out a gasp as a thought came to her, "Hey, how about we stop fighting and go to the bar?!"

A dim murmur of agreement rose from the crowd. Kryptos silently fumed as Amorphous Shape, patted his back in acknowledgement.

As Bill lingered behind the batch of people striding down the street, loudly talking together, he idly scanned his surroundings and peered into shop windows. Frost glazed the sidewalk and the chilly air seeped into his lungs, making it difficult to breathe properly, he stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets really starting to regret not taking more time to scour for his gloves. As the shops passed Bill really didn't find anything displayed to be too captivating. A craft store with pottery, a coffee store with people sipping on warm drinks while reading or doing assignments. Bill longed for the warmth of coffee in his stomach, he tore his eyes from the store as it made him feel even more cold. His body convulsed as a gust of wind blew past him.

Bill brought his hands up to his mouth and huffed into them as he peered into the next shop. A record store. As Bill's eyes danced around scanning the store he spotted a familiar boy standing next to an african women. His eyes narrowed was he realized who it was, Wirt. The women was displaying a record cover to him as she grinned widely, she looked down at the record and examined its surface, her smile faded and she pointed to a sticker on it. Wirt's mouth moved in a response, he seemed nervous in his movements. The girl's eyes lit up as she abruptly wrapped her arms around the boy, Wirt stumbling to balance himself as she did so. She pulled away and looked at him before connecting their lips together.

Bill froze at the sight and stopped in his tracks, his eyes widen with shock. He took a step closer and pressed his hands to the window to make sure that what he was seeing was right. Wirt pulled away, his cheeks bright with embarrassment as he sheepishly smiled at her. Bill blinked in surprise, a grin grew on his face.

"Bill! What's the hold up?"

"Nothing!", he responded as he jogged over to rejoin the group, grinning stupidly.

"What's got you all chipper about?" Pryonica question as he ran up to her side.

"I'll tell you about it later"

 _Maybe I do have a chance._


End file.
